Robot Cut

I’ve been asked a few times “What does robot cut mean?” in reference to my gauges. In the past, I’ve told people that I’d upgraded my small cutter to a huge and expensive flat-bed one with the downforce needed to cut through the gauge faces. I don’t have to do much hand cutting anymore. It’s more like weeding vinyl stickers than hand-cutting gauges. The quality of the final product is MUCH higher.

But… dude. That’s not really the truth. Not the whole truth anyway. It just takes too long to explain my assistants’ origin, how they arrived in my shop, and, well, what they look like. It’s easier just to show you. So, this is ROBOT CUT.

The laser cutting step.

Megatron doesn’t have the… er… fine motor skills? That’s a good term. He’s a bit of a blunt object when it comes to precision cutting. However, Megs is an excellent production manager. He keeps the crew on track.

Starscream is a bit of a loose cannon. I generally assign him hole-punch duty. Shockwave is more suited to the precision task of cutting the gauges from the sheet. Gotta love a bot who sacrifices his whole hand for a more precise laser.

Gauge storage.

Once the gauges are cut, they need to be protected immediately. Soundwave is perfectly suited to the task. The gauges are mass-shifted and stored in his chest with his many buddies.

To all customers who received gauges with tooth marks – I’m truly sorry. I’m trying to teach Ravage to have a softer touch. It’s not always easy for the little guy. But at least they’re on the edge where you can’t see.

Precision cut.

The final step is the most delicate – cutting the window boxes in the NA speedometer. That’s not something you can do with a laser, even with Shockwave’s precision. The slight burns are unacceptable. The only bot for the job is Optimus Prime. His favorite tool is a large X-acto knife. I’ve offered him something smaller many times, but he insists that this is the best knife for the job.

As you might have guessed, Prime isn’t too happy having Megatron as his manager. I tell them they’re both at the same level. Megs hardly even holds his title over Prime’s head! Still… I worry. I might have to hire outside and replace the red-and-blue bot as gauge finisher soon. I just hope he doesn’t read this and find out. Last thing I need is another Matrix-opening situation. Those set me back for DAYS. The last one destroyed my printer.

The final product.

Well done, boys!

Yeah. My robots do good work. I’d not trade them for anything. I mean, it’s not all roses. They’re moody and always wanting to fight. They take over the USB hub every night, making it hard to charge my phone. And they seem to be organizing against my Hot Wheels collection… But still. They’re good bots.

So, I hope this post helped explain “robot cut” to everyone who asked.